StickTwiddlersGaming news, reviews, previews, features and home of the award nominated StickTwiddlers Podcast2016-10-20T12:27:38Zhttp://www.sticktwiddlers.com/feed/atom/WordPressJamie McLellanhttp://www.sticktwiddlers.comhttp://www.sticktwiddlers.com/?p=640342016-10-20T12:27:38Z2016-10-20T12:27:38ZWelcome, Twiddler fans, to another STate Of The Nation address. We've got a few changes and announcements in store for you this week, so let's crack on!

]]>Welcome, Twiddler fans, to another STate Of The Nation address. We’ve got a few changes and announcements in store for you this week, so let’s crack on!

SO, ABOUT THOSE WRESTLING PODCASTS…

It is with a tear in our collective eye that we say goodbye to Faction Friday and Stipulation Sunday. Simply put, you weren’t really listening to them. That’s fine, though, they were very much a test run for new content and we’re happy to set them aside and work on the things that you do want to see and/or hear.

We’re not dropping the wrestling podcasts completely though. We’ll soon be releasing a new fortnightly or monthly (we’re still deciding) series in which we’ll discuss the wider world of wrestling. More on that very soon!

ENOUGH FLIM FLAM, WHEN’S THE STICKTWIDDLERS PODCAST COMING BACK!?

The 28th of October. Yup, we said it. We’re recording this Friday, Alan will be editing it when he’s not busy counting his money and all things being equal, it will go live on Friday the 28th. We’re all a-tingle…

DIDN’T YOU MENTION VIDEOS?

We did! We’ve been “hard at work” on video content (which means we’ve been recording our nightly Battlefield 4 sessions) and it will hit our Youtube channel soon. Really soon. We’ve also got a couple of brand new series in the pipeline, which will also be assaulting your eyes in the very near future. Just give us a little more time, yeah? You know we’re good for it.

BRO, DO YOU EVEN WRITE?

We’ve been writing, damn it! As well as these marvellous STate Of The Nation updates on all things Twiddler, we recently reviewed The Bunker (S’alright) and Conga Master (S’good). We live in a world which has very much shifted focus towards video and audio content but we’ve still got a soft spot for the written word, so don’t expect us to stop scribbling anytime soon.

WHAT ABOUT STREAMS? ANY STREAMS?

Where have you been all week? We’ve been live on Twitch every night this week, streaming Battlefield 4. It’s something to keep us from exploding with excitement before we get our hands on Battlefield 1. We’ll be streaming that, too! Alan also mentioned something about a special Halloween stream, we’ll keep you posted on that front…

YOU’LL PROBABLY PLUG THE PATREON NOW, HUH?

Indeed! If you like what we do then feel free to head on over to our Patreon page and give us a pound or five. If you like what we do but can’t afford to / don’t want to hand over your hard earned, that’s cool too. You can still help by liking, subscribing, retweeting and generally just screaming from the mountaintops that Sticktwiddlers is great.

]]>1Jamie McLellanhttp://www.sticktwiddlers.comhttp://www.sticktwiddlers.com/?p=640192016-10-07T21:41:48Z2016-10-07T21:41:48ZAlan, Sarah and Jamie discuss what may be arguably one of the greatest factions in WWE history, the Ministry of Darkness.

]]>In the latest episode of Faction Friday, Alan, Sarah and Jamie discuss what may be arguably one of the greatest factions in WWE history, the Ministry of Darkness.

We discuss the ancient rituals which keep Vince McMahon alive, his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Raven’s stint as Undertaker’s script writer. Confused? Listen in to make sense of it all. Oh, there’s some wrestling stuff in there too.

]]>1Jamie McLellanhttp://www.sticktwiddlers.comhttp://www.sticktwiddlers.com/?p=640172016-09-30T12:25:33Z2016-09-30T12:18:04ZIn this occasional series, we'll be throwing open the doors of Sticktwiddlers HQ and screaming "WE HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE" while frantically shredding paperwork out back.

]]>Welcome, loyal readers/viewers/listeners/people who googled Sticktwiddlers thinking it was porn, to our first STate Of The Nation address.

In this occasional series, we’ll be throwing open the doors of Sticktwiddlers HQ and screaming “WE HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE” while frantically shredding paperwork out back. This is how we’ll be keeping you up to date on all the latest happenings behind the scenes regarding just what it is we do with our days.

PODCASTS

First and foremost, the Sticktwiddlers flagship podcast, the one that started it all. We’ve not forgotten it, don’t worry. As I write this, we’re about two weeks away from releasing the first episode of Sticktwiddlers: Season Two and by god it’s going to be good. I hope. I have no idea because as is fairly standard when it comes to the Sticktwiddlers podcast, no-one except Alan has any idea what’s going on, but it always worked for us in the past and i’m confident that Al’s got something wondrous hidden up the sleeve of his wizard’s robes. He mentioned a quiz…

MORE PODCASTS

Of course, we’ve added a few strings to our bow and now we have our two new wrestling themed podcast series, Stipulation Sunday and Faction Friday. As we have already said when we announced the release of these series, they are very much in their infant stages. Jamie has taken over editing duties for these and is still nailing down exactly what works and what doesn’t, plus we’re not only returning to podcasting after a fairly lengthy hiatus, but we’re coming back and dramatically increasing our workload. This means things aren’t quite as polished as we’d like them, but we’re working on that.

To that end, we’ve decided to move to an alternating, fortnightly schedule for these two series. Due to some technical issues (Jamie’s laptop threw a tantrum and had to be put on a timeout), the next episode of Faction Friday will be going live next Friday, the 7th of October. That means the next episode of Stipulation Sunday will land on Sunday the 16th of October. That’s our Elimination Chamber episode, we’re pretty damn excited about that one!

Apologies for the delay, I know you’re all drooling in anticipation of new podcasts but trust me, it will be worth the wait.
You’ll also be seeing a few tweaks to the podcast intros, but that’s under wraps for now so you’ll just need to listen out for it.

EVEN MORE PODCASTS

Three podcasts isn’t enough for you? Fine. We’ve actually got plans for other podcast series which will be announced at a later date. Video games, film and TV, wrestling, we have a wide range of interests between us and unless you haven’t already noticed, we love blethering, so expect more ST podcasts before too long. More on that when we’ve got the details nailed down.

VIDEOS, TOO

It’s not all audio, of course. We’re currently working on a couple of regular Youtube series, plus some one offs and occasional videos. We can’t wait to share more information with you but for now you’ll have to make do with knowing that we’re filming things, we think they’re good, they’ll be available for your eyes as soon as possible.

READIN’ MATERIAL

As if this constant assault on your eyes and ears were not enough, we thought we’d provide a little light reading, too. The written word is kind of falling by the wayside in the age of Youtube and Soundcloud, but we still have a fondness for scribbling and so we’ll be working very hard to bring you the kind of written content on which ST was founded.

WE’RE GONNA MAKE YOU PAY

Now for the bit that no-one likes. For us to bring you our award nominated (we will never stop flogging that particular dead horse) podcast, plus new podcast series, plus video content, plus written content, plus god-only-knows-what-new-idea-Alan-will-have-tomorrow, we could use a couple of quid. To that end, we’ve set up our Patreon. We know, we’ve already told you about this, but we thought we’d run it by you again. We’re not doing tiered rewards, we don’t think you should get more out of us because you happen to have more money. Everyone who chucks into the ST pot will have access to absolutely everything that we make, whether you give us a one pound or a thousand. If you don’t pay up, well you’ll still get access to almost everything. We figured, as a thank you to those who are able to throw us a penny or two, we’ll record an occasional extra podcast, we’ll knock up a special video once in a while, we’ll do something to say “Hey, thanks for the cash.”

Don’t be sad, though, you won’t miss out on much. I mean, sure those extra videos and podcasts will be bloody amazing, but so will all the content that you get for free, so that’s not too bad. If you can’t support us financially and believe me, we totally understand that it’s not an option for a lot of people, then you can support us in other ways. Tell your friends. Put out a tweet, share a post, paint our web address on the side of a barn, whatever.

ANY QUESTIONS

We do all of this because we enjoy it. That’s the main thing. We love recording and writing and filming for you folks and we love to hear what you think of what we do. If you have any questions, suggestions, comments or abusive, hateful tirades, send them to jamie@sticktwiddlers.com.

]]>2Jamie McLellanhttp://www.sticktwiddlers.comhttp://www.sticktwiddlers.com/?p=639982016-09-26T09:54:43Z2016-09-26T09:54:43ZWe are introduced to our protagonist, John, as he is born amidst heavy explosions and the occasional fall of plaster dust...

]]>My schedule is jam packed, lately. Podcasting, playing video games, cooking barely edible meals for the children, there’s always something to do. Coupled with my wife’s busy days of nursing and doing something worthwhile with her life, we don’t get to spend as much couple time together as we might like. When we do get an hour or so to ourselves, there are two things that we tend to do. One is snuggling up on the sofa to watch a good horror film and the other is getting in some gaming time.

Recently, I was offered the opportunity to review The Bunker, the new live-action horror title from Wales Interactive. After watching the trailer, I realised that this could be an opportunity to indulge both my love of gaming and my fascination with freaky films and I asked my wife if she would like to join me. A date was set for that evening and we were all set to have our spines tingled.

The Bunker is set in an underground… well, bunker. Opening in 1986, we are introduced to our protagonist, John, as he is born amidst heavy explosions and the occasional fall of plaster dust shaken from the ceiling. Thirty years later, only John and his mother remain in the bunker and she is dying. With her last breath, she urges him to stick to the routine, making him repeat it to her before reading her one last story from her favourite book, which is:

A) Treasure Island
B) The Bible
C) The Bunker Instruction Manual

This is where it begins. The Bunker is essentially a live-action point and click game. The camera pans to a shot of the books on the side table and once you pick one, John reaches out and picks up the book which you have chosen and starts to read.

It’s a fantastic concept, blending the interactivity of a video game with the visuals of cinema. It’s not a new idea, of course, as live-action games have popped up from time to time over the years but have never really gained any ground. There have been some good attempts, of course. I particularly remember spending hours happily playing through Star Trek: Borg and Star Trek: Klingon, interactive movies featuring characters from the Next Generation era television series. Personal favourites, but they had their issues. Sadly, the concept has never realized it’s full potential and I couldn’t help but wonder, would The Bunker be the first to do so?

Well, it’s certainly an earnest attempt at reviving the concept but sadly, the whole experience is a little dry. It’s not without it’s charms for sure and part of me wants to urge everyone to try it simply because it’s such a fantastic idea which is trying so hard to bring something new to the table. A larger part of me, however, just doesn’t really get it and it wasn’t just me who felt that way. Both my wife and I agreed that The Bunker left us with a particular set of emotions. Namely, mild unease and slight disappointment. The story is genuinely unsettling and watching someone’s life fall apart and having a degree of control over it is an odd feeling. Sadly, there’s not enough there to overwhelm the feeling that there’s just not enough going on.

The story unfolds very slowly and is constantly halted by what feel like arbitrary button presses. There’s a tiny amount of autonomy allowed as you explore extra rooms, but the most you’ll find is one of the wooden doll collectibles strewn throughout the bunker and what’s more likely is turning up a maintenance report or diary entry which, while impressive in their attention to detail, don’t really drop the jaw.

Ultimately, The Bunker isn’t for me. It was a really clever idea and if this was a movie review i’d be singing it’s praises for telling a decent tale, but as a game it lacks something. There were one or two interesting moments, but after much discussion, my wife and I decided that next time we’ll either watch a film OR play a game, not play something which suffers from being too much of the former, without enough of the latter.

]]>1Jamie McLellanhttp://www.sticktwiddlers.comhttp://www.sticktwiddlers.com/?p=640112016-09-25T19:10:25Z2016-09-25T19:10:25ZAl and Jamie get gory as we dive into the weird world of First Blood matches

]]>In episode three of Stipulation Sunday, things get bloody. It’s First Blood! There have been some classic first blood matches over the years, but we decided to focus on… other ones.

Join us for just under an hour of wrestling chat as Alan and Jamie ask the important questions. Is Ric Flair’s skin actually some sort of paper? Why the hell do first blood matches need referees? Has JBL been bathing in Red Bull? Enquiring minds want to know.

SHOW NOTES:

All of the matches that we talked about in this episode are available on the WWE Network. We’re not affiliated with the WWE in anyway, but we are ever so helpful so here are a list of the matches and their approximate time stamps.

]]>1Jamie McLellanhttp://www.sticktwiddlers.comhttp://www.sticktwiddlers.com/?p=640002016-09-23T15:53:35Z2016-09-23T11:25:52ZIn the latest episode of Faction Friday, we're discussing The Oddities, a late nineties WWF stable which pretty much summed up late nineties WWF.

]]>In the latest episode of Faction Friday, we’re discussing The Oddities, a late nineties WWF stable which pretty much summed up late nineties WWF.

We talk about their bizarre titantron video (and amazing entrance music), the wonderful man behind the terrible Golga gimmick, the surprisingly impressive film career of Kurgan and Giant Silva. He was there too.

SHOW NOTES:

We’ve included The Oddities’ titantron. It’s weird.

As always, the audio clips in this were shamelessly purloined from Youtube clips and included here under the terms of “fair use”.

]]>0Jamie McLellanhttp://www.sticktwiddlers.comhttp://www.sticktwiddlers.com/?p=639942016-09-18T10:23:44Z2016-09-18T10:23:44ZLet's put everything on a pole! It's time for episode two of Stipulation Sunday.

]]>0Jamie McLellanhttp://www.sticktwiddlers.comhttp://www.sticktwiddlers.com/?p=639872016-09-16T08:54:34Z2016-09-16T08:54:34ZThis week Alan, Sarah and Jamie take a look back at Raven's Flock / The Flock / Raven's Nest / That's So Raven / Raven And The Ravenettes / Meet The Flockers or whatever the hell else they were called.

]]>It’s Friday and that means it’s time for the first episode of our brand new podcast series, Faction Friday!

This week Alan, Sarah and Jamie take a look back at Raven’s Flock / The Flock / Raven’s Nest / That’s So Raven / Raven And The Ravenettes / Meet The Flockers or whatever the hell else they were called.

In this episode, we take a look into the sick mind of Mean Gene, marvel at Raven’s Livejournal poetry and discuss the reflective properties of snow.

If you like what you hear and you haven’t already, please check out our other brand new podcast series, Stipulation Sunday.

These new podcasts are very much in their early days and we’d love your feedback to help us improve and evolve, so please drop us a comment below, hit us up on Twitter, join us on Facebook and of course, feel free to take a look at our Patreon.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Jamie still sounds like he’s recording from the bottom of a lake but fear not, he’s now upgraded his microphone and from now on, his audio quality should be considerably improved.

The audio clips in this were either shamelessly purloined from Youtube clips and included here under the terms of “fair use” or borrowed from FreeSFX.